Drain pipes for drains of all types, including large industrial drains and smaller domestic drains such as in sinks, tubs and showers are susceptible to being blocked by obstructions. While it is understood that the principles of the present invention are applicable to all types of drain pipes, the invention will be described herein particularly with respect to domestic home drain pipes such as in sinks, tubs, showers and floor drains as may be found in a laundry room or basement.
Drain pipes, especially of the type in a home, generally have a U-shaped water seal located just downstream of the drain opening wherein the drain pipe follows a U-shaped path, the purpose of such a water seal being to prevent gases and the like from passing from the inside of the pipe up into the room above the drain opening. The problem, however, is that this U-shaped water seal is a natural space for materials such as hair, soaps, oil and greases to collect, and more than just collect, they become entangled to form a clog which is resistant to being removed.
The prior art discloses devices intended to remove such clogs. However, prior drain pipe cleaning devices suffer from disadvantages including the fact that they are often complex, expensive and/or inefficient.
Thus, a need exists for improvements in drain pipe cleaners which are suitable for cleaning drain pipes of any size or type but especially for removing clogs from household drain pipes.